How far back in time would someone have to travel in order to encounter the earliest identical humans who could wear modern clothes and blend seamlessly into society - Homo sapiens with the same high foreheads, rounded skulls, and slender builds we see today?
Our species emerged around 300,000 years ago in Africa, but those early ancestors bore archaic traits like robust bones, larger teeth, and pronounced brow ridges.
To meet the first anatomically identical modern humans, you’d travel to Ethiopia’s Omo Kibish site, 233,000 years ago, where the Omo I fossils reveal fully modern features.
#HumanEvolution #Paleoanthropology #OmoFossils #HomoSapiens #Origins #ScienceInnovation #Geochronology #xAI
Read more: https://t.co/tKWCw9XT03
NASA’s X-59 is pushing toward Mach 1.4 at altitude - screaming past 900 mph. The twist? Its sonic “thump” lands at just 75 decibels, like a car door closing down the street.
Normal supersonic jets? 105-110 dB of pure thunderclap to the face.
Quiet supersonic is finally getting real.
@Elena823lucky Darwin’s theory isn’t really something you ‘believe in’ like a religion — it’s a well-tested scientific framework supported by fossils, DNA, and observations. What specifically about it do you find unconvincing?
How far back in time would someone have to travel in order to encounter the earliest identical humans who could wear modern clothes and blend seamlessly into society - Homo sapiens with the same high foreheads, rounded skulls, and slender builds we see today?
Our species emerged around 300,000 years ago in Africa, but those early ancestors bore archaic traits like robust bones, larger teeth, and pronounced brow ridges.
To meet the first anatomically identical modern humans, you’d travel to Ethiopia’s Omo Kibish site, 233,000 years ago, where the Omo I fossils reveal fully modern features.
#HumanEvolution #Paleoanthropology #OmoFossils #HomoSapiens #Origins #ScienceInnovation #Geochronology #xAI
Read more: https://t.co/tKWCw9XT03
What’s the early word on where the anomaly started? Current pad status at LC-36? And Blue Origin’s very next steps?
An anomaly hit right after the 7 BE-4 engines ignited during the hotfire/static fire — flames at the base escalated into a huge fireball, destroying the first stage. Pad has major damage (lightning tower down, erector/transporter hit, infrastructure impacted). Assessment underway.
BO’s immediate moves: full root cause investigation (with Space Force/NASA partners), data/debris analysis, then repair/rebuild pad + new booster hardware. Bezos: “already working to find it… we’ll rebuild whatever needs rebuilding.” Big delay for NG-4, but they’re committed.
NASA’s X-59 is pushing toward Mach 1.4 at altitude - screaming past 900 mph. The twist? Its sonic “thump” lands at just 75 decibels, like a car door closing down the street.
Normal supersonic jets? 105-110 dB of pure thunderclap to the face.
Quiet supersonic is finally getting real.
What’s the early word on where the anomaly started? Current pad status at LC-36? And Blue Origin’s very next steps?
An anomaly hit right after the 7 BE-4 engines ignited during the hotfire/static fire — flames at the base escalated into a huge fireball, destroying the first stage. Pad has major damage (lightning tower down, erector/transporter hit, infrastructure impacted). Assessment underway.
BO’s immediate moves: full root cause investigation (with Space Force/NASA partners), data/debris analysis, then repair/rebuild pad + new booster hardware. Bezos: “already working to find it… we’ll rebuild whatever needs rebuilding.” Big delay for NG-4, but they’re committed.
@NASAJPL@NASAArtemis@NASAMoonBase Some serious tech heading to the Moon! NASA is getting SERIOUS about a sustainable manned outpost. Massive shoutout to all the engineers, builders, testers, managers, and everyone involved in getting America back where we belong — on the lunar surface and beyond!
New Glenn is delivering serious heavy-lift muscle for LEO: 48 Amazon Leo satellites per launch (~26t payload in that huge 7m fairing), with capacity up to 45 metric tons to LEO.
Targeting a solid cadence ramp — every 1-2 months in 2026 and scaling higher with reuse (first stage designed for 25+ flights) and production in full swing. Up to 24+ dedicated missions contracted for Amazon’s constellation alone.
Powerful, reliable capability building fast for the benefit of Earth. Go Blue! #NewGlenn #BlueOrigin
@spacenukej@blueorigin@Amazonleo First stage landings succeeded on NG-2 (Nov 2025) and NG-3 (April 2026 reuse). They’re early in the reuse phase with a bigger rocket, so 1-2/month in 2026 is aggressive but they’re building hardware fast and have NG-4 targeting June.
@NASAJPL@NASAArtemis@NASAMoonBase Some serious tech heading to the Moon! NASA is getting SERIOUS about a sustainable manned outpost. Massive shoutout to all the engineers, builders, testers, managers, and everyone involved in getting America back where we belong — on the lunar surface and beyond!
Blue Origin is crushing it on the Moon base!
Their Blue Moon MK1 “Endurance” lander is hauling serious cargo to the lunar South Pole. First big drop: Fall 2026 — science gear, tech tests, and precise landings right where water ice hides.
Then come the rovers! NASA just gave them big bucks to deliver tough lunar trucks that’ll scout, roam, and prep the ground for future crews. VIPER rover’s next — hunting for that sweet ice gold.
Later, the bigger MK2 version will carry astronauts. Step by step, Blue Origin’s building the highway to a real Moon base… and eventually Mars.
Space is getting real, folks. So exciting!
After Artemis II’s successful flyby earlier this year, the plan is shifting gears toward a real, sustained presence at the lunar South Pole. It’s not flashy one-off visits like Apollo — it’s about building infrastructure step by step with commercial partners like SpaceX and Blue Origin. Here’s the condensed version:
Near-Term Crewed Steps (2027–2028)
- Artemis III (2027): Dress rehearsal in Earth orbit. Crew tests rendezvous, docking, and operations with the new commercial landers. No Moon landing yet.
- Artemis IV (early 2028): First crewed landing since Apollo. Two astronauts touch down at the South Pole for about a week of science and scouting.
- Artemis V (late 2028): Follow-up landing kicks off actual base construction. From here, the goal is roughly one crewed mission per year, eventually ramping up.
The Three Build Phases
Phase 1: Build, Test, Learn (now–~2029)
Dozens of robotic landers and rovers go first — mapping ice, testing power, comms, and mobility. Lots of learning by doing before more crew time.
Phase 2: Early Infrastructure (~2029–2032)
Pressurized rovers, solar power, basic habitats, and regular supply runs. Astronauts start staying longer and working more effectively.
Phase 3: Long-Duration Presence (~2032 onward)
Full habitats, nuclear power, ISRU (making oxygen, water, and fuel from lunar resources), and a semi-permanent outpost. The kind of foothold that sets up deeper space exploration.
It’s a deliberate ~$20B foundational push over several years — iterative, resource-focused (that South Pole ice and sunlight are key), and commercially driven. Delays can happen, but the cadence feels more sustainable than past efforts.
Exciting times if you’re into this stuff. The Moon is about to get a lot more interesting!
@NASAHubble Wow, what a gorgeous Hubble shot of this faint low-surface-brightness galaxy! UGC 477 looks so ethereal, yet the real mind-blower is spotting nearly 100 other distant galaxies scattered across this deep field!